A Tightly Knit Network of Companies Runs the World Economy, Says Network Analysis

This just confirms the absolute need for Free Speech and Democracy. Of course these big boy companies can easily manipulate Free Speech in what the public hears. Gosh I sure love the internet in regards to Free Speech. ;)

Since the turn of the 20th century, individual national markets have been heavily influenced by criminal enterprise. Markets stepping in on the international scene half way through the century reflects the growing commercial interest of criminal enterprise abroad. If you think of the world's most powerful and influential criminal organizations, they all have their hands into government branches of respective countries, making for strong lobbying point of political interest, especially as it pertains to international commerce.

There's your conspiracy theory for you. A collection of powerful people traditional dubbed the New World Order (NWO) are heavily influenced by the most powerful businessmen on the planet. Gangsters.

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I predict these men will have some sort of an "accident" in the coming weeks.

Stay on this topic, PopSci! Don't let it die!!!

This article is only new information to everyone who has been living in the Matrix their whole lives. The world media, educational systems, and infrastructure of our societies is controled by these banks. You might read this and think I am eccentric, or off my rocker, but if you don't believe this article or my words, read a book called "The creature from Jekyll Island". This book describes how the world economy was taken over by the major banks and financial institutions, and how the Federal reserve was never Federal, but just a private entity that is made only to protect the interests of the major banks, and does this all using the disguise of a government title and with backing from the American Government. Again the book is called, "The creature from Jekyll Island".

This is news? It's simply a confirmation of what we all intuitively know: any group or individual that has a greater portion of resources or wealth wields more influence. Big deal. What prevents this from being a problem is competition in a free market. Free countries with free market economies aren't the ones that suffer because of the concentrated power of a few; it's oppressive, corrupt, totalitarian (un-democratic) countries with centrally-controlled economies that are unduly influenced by major power brokers.

Other than the no-news aspect of this story, the "conclusions" of the study are hilarious. Why 20 companies and not 10? Or better yet 13? What was the arbitrarily-picked criteria that produced 20? There are literally thousands of companies around the world with massive wealth that have huge influence. What are the chances of more than 3 of them ganging together to "stick it to the little people"? Here's a clue: look at Apple and Samsung. Both massively wealthy and both suing each other over cell phone technology. So much for ganging together.

Other than the interesting analysis of complicated networks of connections between companies, this is a silly story.

Postscript to previous comment: It's hugely ironic that the Occupy Wall Street crowd is demonstrating against private companies. History has shown conclusively that the vast majority of human suffering was caused by--guess what?--governments; not private enterprises, not natural disasters. If you have trouble with this concept, start with Muammar Gaddafi and work your way around the world, then back through history. It's enlightening, isn't it? People have much more to fear from government than from private companies.

@mars.22.4ever
i agree with you. i watched the Zeitgeist: Moving Forward film and wow did i learn a lot. but you are right most people sadly live in the Matrix. and have no idea was is really going on. i will check out "The creature from Jekyll Island". thanks.

_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.

- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri

Final comment, I promise: the only policy implication this study has would be a bemused "huh, interesting." The 20 companies named have such diversified assets that normal financial crises shouldn't cause repercussions throughout the world. It's only when a perfect storm of government ineptitude creates an environment for a disaster to happen that we have anything to fear. The recent housing bubble and subsequent sub-prime mortgage crisis meltdown is a case in point.

The housing bubble was generated by the Federal Reserve keeping interest rates arbitrarily low for an extended period of time. Simultaneously, changes to the Community Reinvestment Act in 1995 and 1999 helped create an environment for sub-prime loans to proliferate. The 1999 repeal of the part of the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act that prohibited commercial (savings) banks from also providing investment banking services allowed banks that held personal savings to also underwrite and trade dubious "instruments" like mortgage-backed securities.

Suddenly ordinary and poorly-qualified people were speculating in the housing market as prices rose, buying homes with no collateral and selling them a year later at inflated prices. When housing prices started to drop moderately beginning in late 2005, subprime mortgage defaults rose dramatically. When the entire housing market bubble collapsed in 2008, we ended up in a crisis that spread to the entire world.

Though the proximate cause of the crisis was a large number of supposedly greedy people and banks speculating on housing prices, the environment for that speculation was created by erroneous government policy starting with the Fed's low interest rates.

This isn't the first time that bad decisions at the Fed precipitated a crisis. The Great Depression was caused by the Fed not intervening during the recession of 1929 and mitigating the cascading bank runs by customers trying to protect their money by withdrawing it. If the Fed had assumed its responsibility and bought government bonds to provide money directly to the banks suffering bank runs, confidence would have been restored and the recession would have played itself out as normal recessions do. The TARP Act of 2008 accomplished basically the same thing and prevented a collapse of the U.S. banking system.

Ladies and Gentlemen...I give you the New World Order. That's great that a computer program figured out what we've known for decades, maybe now the people will listen. What every one should do is investigate the people behind these corporations and BANKSTERS. Find out what their motives are and what drives them...read their literature. Hint Hint 1 world government, total enslavement and depopulation of 80% of the worlds population.

Please read Agenda 21, it's the NWO's (headed by the CFR) plan for a "utopian" society by 2100. and "Utopian" means totalitarian.

@Grunt, you are so on the money right there.

Laurenra7--kind of silly to blame the Fed for the housing crisis when it was the banks whom made as many loans as possible in order to create CDOs with which they could sell and bet upon--bet on to fail. It's like cheating at gambling. The Fed is no saint either but the oligopoly of the banking industry is quite possibly worse.

We need more of these illustrations like this. News media, oil companies, food and beverage companies. The most common form of expansion for major corporations is through acquisition, despite the acquired company's tendency to fail. It's not about whether the company fails or succeeds, it's market control. You will find super clusters in those areas. The FTC has been sleeping on the job.

One person against a king is powerless. This article illustrates our many kings in the world. Power corrupts and we all know it. The only way to stop the corruption of power is via Democracy, Free Speech. We must use any and all avenues possible to all these things to flourish!

I am for a variety of economic systems. I am Christian and we are to take care of the weak and sick and in need. So some social programs are necessary. And I am also for fair competition of a free market, Capitalism. This does bring the best products to the surface and allow those keep what we reap and work so hard for. Capitalism has its problem too, it encourages greed and selfish behavior. We must always keep ourselves as a society in check. We bring me back to Democracy and Free Speech.

Ahahaha! Nice. It's about time. I bet these companies go into overtime to rename and obfuscate those company ties. Now that this model is created, it needs to be updated so these bastards cant hide it anymore.

I will tell you this, with 147 in the knot, the ability to influence from the outside is just as real. Governments can easily play chess with 147 companies.

There was an old idea: "Direct Democracy". It was kool because it was the idea that eventually the public would have the technology to overcome propaganda and government balogna. You couldnt lie to say a person, in China, about what happens in the west because that person will able to go on the internet, or make a phone call, and know what is really happening.

We can see it happening now, right here. More of these models will turn up. More "patterns" will be recognized. Your common everyday highschool kid has more computing power and information at his hands than he knows what to do with. New APIs offer the ability to put models like this together all too easily.

Direct Democracy means a giant change and level of transparency for all governments. Direct Democracy hoepfully means a blending of governments as well. Direct Democracy leads to "Unified Government". Governments lying to us just perpetuates the transparency. It gives reason to put the actions of the governing under a microscope.

Beware Banks and Governments. People want better. They want it faster than you can give it. I personally am tired of waiting on Big Governments to do what the people are already capable of doing. DARPA now even recognizes that the public sector and open source communtiy can do things much faster than they can alone. But thats crazy isnt it? The public helping the military? Thats a greedy tactic for cheap and fast labor that will lead to a blurring of the lines. Whos has the know how? Who has the tech? Who can really control the other?

Bring the smarts people. Bring the quetions. Build new microscopes and magnifying glasses. The next revolution is a human one. Its world wide. We arent idiots who cant get along. Only our governments are. (No I am not an anarchist, I just think our governments are extremely outdated).

Going to the moon wasnt an American triumph, it was a human triumph. Understanding nature and physics is an understanding for all, not just for the Elite. Global change and dangers are a human problem too. We need all the minds we can get focusing on common human problems. We should start dealing with things and governing ourselves as an entire human race. "Harmony" is a dead word these days and it shouldnt be.

Wow, what a great article. The knot is too tight. 147 is too easy to influence. Which governments have already played the chess game? All of them.

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."

@ laurenra7

Exactly, and when your a government, how do you regain control of the population after Free Enterprise has taken so much power from you? How do you deal with a unified monetary system growing in Europe?

You level the playing field, that what you do. If we collapse, you all collapse. Or so the theory goes. Problem is, now certain economies will protect themselves from it. To lie in a recession in this day and age is to let your super status get blown away. The US cant play this card again as long as China stays so close to our bumper.

The only people who could fathem the whole crisis and benefit from the power vaccums would be a government(s). "Accident" or perhaps the "possible influence" of the "knot" was demonstrated?

"Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. There is no spoon."

The conspiracy runs much deeper...

Google "street name" for instant enlightenment.

The more you know.

sorry observingangel but laurenra7 is correct

"Concentrated power in the hands of a few has clear implications for global financial stability"

Is US Congress. uneducated, ignorant, inempt and yes I voted for them (didn't want to "throw my vote away" (quoting the aliens on Simpsons))

To explain how congress can be at fault for actions made by banks:
Note: I worked in mortgages, read my anecdote below.

during Bush's presidency congress voted for lenient lending so people can buy houses. sounds nice of them right? Bush vetoed the bill and was overrode by second vote.
The Federal Reserve acted on the instructions of congress, as they should, and the Federal banks (Fannie Mae, et al) altered the conditions for a mortgage.
The banks (all of them) lent US citizens [federal] money and in doing so they followed the guidelines put forth by the federal banks. When you sign a mortgage with a bank (with the exception of 1-2% of people) they are lending you Federal money and must follow federal guidelines.

Anecdote: I had many clients sign mortgages in my offices. Most of them could make the payments that they were signing, barring some unforeseen circumstances, but one client, had money, but was spending his money faster than he earning it, and when he came to refinance his home, I unprofessionally mentioned this (it isn't my business) and he told me to be quiet and not bring it up again, I did as he asked and he signed the mortgage. legally I could not stop him from signing the mortgage (a contract between him and the bank (in lieu of the federal bank lets not forget)).

To relate this to the occupy wall street as an "Opposing" faction?!? The low level people laying in sleeping bags might think so, but who organizes them. Look up Steven Lerner (3 time visitor to the Obama white house) on youtube, caught on tape along with others at a conference, plotting this months ago.

The goal destabilize the US banking system with social engineering like the oppose wall street, because the economy can't take another hit and the US will collapse bringing down everyone else.
And the obvious end result in the ensuing misery starvation death and crisis world wide absolute power can be grabbed.

Good for the so called 99%? I don't think that's likely.

It's not in opposition to this, it's to centralize power UP, away from the people and toward the powerful in government and those very greedy corporations they think they are opposing. The exact opposite of everything they think they are standing for.

Barney frank introduced legislation to get rid of FED regional bank powers. Emphasis on regional to accrete power UP to a singular FED.

The more UP away from the people the power is, the fewer people have to be bribed or blackmailed to do what you want. That is why the their ideal is so much control internationalized into the UN or whatever would replace that.